Gamers, YouTubers… employment in the digital age

Advances in the Internet in recent years have given rise to new types of employment in a short space of time. Young people are the ones who are also having fun while they work.

Betty Hernández Quintana

Roles such as app developer, social media manager, gamer and YouTuber are now common place, all closely linked to the network of networks, and with a large impact on Latin America.

Nevertheless, it is not only technical and communications advances that have given rise to this phenomenon, but also the economic crisis and job market, leading the affected population, mainly young people, to come up with a new way to make a living.

Recent reports from the Global Economic Forum estimate that 65 per cent of pupils in primary education today will work in a profession that does not yet exist.

Experts believe that this continuous change will take place increasingly rapidly thanks to advances in robotics, driverless transport and biotechnology. Studies on the economic impact of the network of networks suggest it is responsible, on average, for approximately 2 per cent of GDP in developing countries, and for 3.4 per cent in developed countries.

For young people

According to United Nations (UN) data, the number of individuals aged between 10 and 24 stands at over 1.8 billion, with 90 per cent living in developing countries.

Six out of 10 of those young people do not study or work, and more than 500 million live on less than a dollar a day, a situation that is increasing social unrest and unregulated migrants seeking better economic conditions, continues the UN.

Nevertheless, the network of networks is an up and coming sector within the global economy, against a backdrop where traditional markets are in crisis or barely surviving.

For the time being, young people mainly dominate spheres such as mobile and smart device app development, Internet and social media publicity roles etc.

Before 2006, companies did not need a social media manager. And yet today, with social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, a content manager is indispensable; attracting customers is the main source of success for many companies. Another new role is that of Big Data Analyst.

Earn money by having fun

YouTubers and gamers are forms of employment that young people think are ‘too good to be true’ or simply do not think are jobs at all, as they essentially consist in making money while having fun.

Platforms that allow free video uploads have helped to generate professions such as ‘video blogger’ (vloggers), who can earn millions of dollars through advertising by publishing reviews of trips, places, hotels or entertainment centres.

YouTube, in particular, is one of the most visited pages globally, and offers to pay its customers, in other words, those who have a registered account with them. You need a certain number of subscribers and video views, but once such requirements are fulfilled, you can begin to make money.

For that reason, YouTubers have managed to achieve fame and acquire millions of subscribers outside of the clutches of media giants.

Their celebrity status allows them to sign agreements with large businesses as representatives, promotors and collaborators.

There are several Latin Americans in the top 10 most important YouTubers in the world, such as the Mexican, Yuya, who has 17.8 million subscribers and essentially focuses on giving beauty and fashion advice and talking about day-to-day life.

Hola Soy Germán (Hello, I’m Germán) is also of note, which led its creator Germán Garmendia to acquire 31.2 million followers. Forbes magazine estimates that his income surpassed 5 million dollars in 2016.

Video games

The latest way to earn money in the 21st century may currently be the most envied amongst young people, as it consists of earning money by playing video games.

In reality, the sphere of digital entertainment is currently one of the the biggest generators of employment in the cultural industry, the only one not to have been hit by the feared ‘crisis’ that has already negatively affected other realms such as cinema, television and the editorial industry.

Large companies of this kind offer jobs such as ‘testers’ (those who test products), so as to eliminate linguistic and content errors, as well as improving usability.

Nevertheless, they also employ a plethora of professionals such as actors, translators, art experts, acrobats, psychologists, engineers and designers. Although nowadays the the so-called digital gap is increasingly apparent around the world, it is still particularly apparent between genders in developing countries, where 29 per cent of women use the internet compared to 33 per cent of men.

The gap does not just divide genders, but also races and countries due to their economic and political systems. (PL)